Resurrecting Redemption
by BrOkEn2NiTe
Summary: The last thing Gibbs wanted was for a young Detective with a past to be placed on his team. The last thing Jessie wanted was a boss that wouldn't stop hounding her. And the last thing either expected was to find redemption in one anothers arms. Gibbs/OC
1. Chapter 1 Another Enigma

**:DAuthors Note: Howdy all! I'm back with another batch of inspiration! I have recently become obsessed with NCIS and was smacked in the face with inspiration for a story. I know, shame on me for starting a new story when I have so many unfinished ones, but I'll get back to them, I swear it. Alright, so at the beginning of a story, I do a quick AU in the start, but from here on out, the AU's will be at the end. I have used my character Jessie (many of you may remember her from my Law and Order:SVU fic I did a few years back) and she is much the same, but different for the use of this story. This is a Gibbs/OC (Jessie Harper) and I know most shippers hate reading OC fics, BUT I promise, most people fall in love with Jessie when they read about her. I've used her for several characters, including one of my original novels I have in the works. SO, she's mine, copy written and everything. Also, I will do a playlist. I'll post the songs at the beginning of each chapter. I recommend listening to the song as you read the chapter! Alright, enough from me, on with the story!!!!!**

**Song: Bring the Night On by Eve 6**

**Chapter 1 "Another Enigma" **

Jessie Harper did her best to compose herself as the elevator climbed the length of the building. She tried focusing her nervous energy on the shifting lights winking to life with each passing floor, but this only made her dizzy. It also didn't help that elevators made her nervous to begin with, and it especially didn't help her to think that with every passing floor she was becoming closer and closer to her destination. What had Director Vance said to her again? Oh yes, he'd said "He's like a dog; he can smell fear. Just don't act afraid. Whatever you do, don't act afraid." That wont be a problem, she'd thought. And at the time, she didn't think it would be.

Jessie hadn't been bothered by Vance's warnings very much, at least until she was about to have to deal with it first hand. She was a very hard woman to intimidate. She'd thrown down with hardened criminals, fist fought grown men twice her size. She'd dealt with many different types of people, such as drug dealers, gangsters, killers, and rapists. She'd informed Vance of the fact that being so young and female made her a prime target for every asshole in her department, so she knew how to take care of herself. She hadn't made Detective so young for no reason, after all. Vance had laughed. "But you've never met a man like Gibbs."

When the metal doors swung open to reveal a bustling office full of noise and nicely dressed people, Jessie thought she just might vomit. "He won't like the way you dress, he won't like how old you are, and he especially won't like the fact that I placed you on his team," Vance had warned her. Jessie glanced down at her collared button-up shirt, tight blue jeans, and boots. It was good enough to wear to her old job; she'd figured it would be good enough for NCIS. She'd probably figured wrong. She wasn't back on the farm anymore. "You'll have to prove yourself, Harper." Jessie had smiled, feeling up to the challenge. Vance knew Jessie and her reputation. He knew she was up for the job. But now that the moment of truth was upon her, she wasn't feeling half as confident as she had that morning when Vance had debriefed her and she'd received her badge and weapon. But she squared her shoulders and stepped off of the elevator with as much dignity as possible; preparing herself to face whatever came next.

She evaluated her surroundings and upon her sweep of the room, her eyes fell on a young looking short haired man slouching down in a chair, his feet propped up on a desk that she could only hope to be his. When he looked up and caught her gaze, he popped up like he had a spring attached to his butt and strutted over to her. She almost laughed out loud as she mentally compared the guys walk with her old rooster, Rudy, her dad had kept as a pet back home.

"Hello there," said the Rudy look alike. "Can I assist you in any fashion? Help you find someone? Get you a cup of coffee? Buy you dinner tonight?" He flashed a gorgeous smile, a smile so pretty that not even she could deny it. But it was also a cocky smile, and she knew immediately which agent he was. Vance had described him perfectly.

"You're Agent DiNozzo." It wasn't a question. He nodded slowly, clearly taken aback. Jessie smirked.

"Do we know each other?" He asked cautiously. She knew he was going through his mental rolodex of women, trying to figure out which jilted lover had finally come back to bite him in the ass. Jessie smiled and he suddenly looked very uncomfortable, as if he thought she actually might bite him.

"Director Vance told me about you," she clarified. He immediately relaxed and she extended her hand. "Detective…err…I mean Agent Jessie Harper."

"Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, but please, call me Tony." Tony smiled again and Jessie couldn't help but smile back.

"I'm supposed to report to Special Agent Gibbs. Is he in?" She surveyed her immediate surroundings and saw that all four desks in the small space were empty; counting the one Tony had been sitting at when she arrived.

"No, he's out wrapping up a case in interrogation. You can wait if you'd like." Tony offered and Jessie nodded briskly, ready to put her game face on. Tony tried to lead her back to his desk, but she knew exactly where she needed to be sitting when Gibbs arrived, just to show that his reputation did not intimidate her.

"Which desk is his?" Tony pointed to the desk with the most clutter. Figures, Jessie thought as she walked behind it and sat down in the chair.

"Uh, I wouldn't do that if I---" Jessie cut him off.

"Vance told me all about Gibbs. I'm not concerned." Jessie was proud of herself for keeping her voice even and steady. Tony shrugged and said something about hoping that she carried Tylenol with her. She had no clue what he meant by that.

"So, you were a detective huh? I was with Baltimore Homicide before I wound up here. What'd you work?" Tony asked as he sauntered back to his desk, relaxing back into his chair.

"Gang Division."

"Nice!" Tony exclaimed. "I hear that's a pretty dangerous beat."

Jessie smirked and said, "Now you understand why Gibbs doesn't scare me." Tony appraised her for a second, looking her over skeptically, as if weighing the horrors she'd probably witnessed while on the job next to Special Agent Gibbs.

"How old are you anyway? You look young for an agent."

"I'm twenty-six, almost twenty-seven."

"What?!" Tony's eyes went wide. "How the hell did you make detective so young?" Jessie shrugged and said, "Went in straight out of college and did well I reckon." And then she flinched when the word "reckon" came out of her mouth. She'd hoped not to give away her origin just yet.

"Sweet accent! Where in the South are you from?" Jessie stiffened.

"I'd prefer to keep that to myself. You'll find out soon enough."

"A woman of mystery, eh? I like that." Tony wiggled his eyebrows. Jessie rolled her eyes.

"No, not mysterious. I just don't care for nosy people," she said flatly. Tony cinched his eyebrows and said "Not very friendly, are you?"

"Actually I'm very friendly!" Jessie defended herself. "I just don't like people sticking their nose where it doesn't belong."

"Then you aren't going to like Tony very much." Jessie turned and saw three people walking into the room, two men and a woman. The comment had come from the woman, a tall simply dressed woman with an accent. She winced when she saw where Jessie was sitting.

"Who the hell is she and why is she in my chair?" Jessie glanced up and saw a pair of icy blue eyes boring into her.

"You Gibbs?" Jessie did her best to keep her tone casual. Do not show fear, she thought. Do not show fear.

"Is there a reason you're still in my chair?" She tried concentrating on his appearance, not his words. His hair was silver, cut short on the sides but just a bit longer on top. He had a strong but very handsome face, medium build, and she almost thanked God that he was wearing blue jeans. It made her feel more at ease in her clothes.

Jessie stood up, squaring her shoulders and bringing herself to her full height, and then extended her hand. "Agent Jessie Harper, sir. I'm the new member of your team." Gibbs looked down at her hand, anger making his eyes look cold and hard, like he had diamonds dancing in them. He gave her the once over, distaste for her apparel plain on his face, and then his eyes found her face. He slammed an empty cup down on his desk.

"Like hell you are."

* * *

"What do you mean _you_ hired her?" Gibbs ground out the words to Director Vance.

"I mean exactly what I said, Agent Gibbs. I hired her and assigned her to your team. I want her to lean from the best."

"My ass!" Gibbs' voice rose with every word. "You just want someone to report back to you. This is my team, Director, and I do the hiring and firing." Jessie had to give Vance his props. He hadn't even flinched. Jessie herself was a bit miffed at being accused of being a nark.

"It may be your team, but as Director of NCIS, I have the right to assign someone to your team, or have you forgotten that already, Gibbs?" Jessie didn't think it was possible, but Gibbs' anger level seemed to rise and his glare was even harder then before. "Plus, if I was going to hire someone to keep an eye on you, I wouldn't have hired Harper." Vance chuckled. Jessie smirked.

"Then why _did_ you hire her, Director?" The question came out as a frustrated spat. Gibbs was becoming visibly impatient.

"Do you remember the Marine killed by that gang that migrated up here from Mexico about a year and a half ago?"

"Yeah, everyone's heard about that." Tony chimed in. Gibbs' whole team had raced after him when he'd stomped up the stairs to the Director's office upon learning who Jessie was. Jessie didn't know if it was out of curiosity or to keep their boss from losing his temper. By the way Gibbs' fists were balled up at his sides, she'd put her money on the latter.

"I don't remember hearing anything about that, actually," said the man who had introduced himself quickly before they'd all stormed into the Director's office as Tim McGee.

"That's because you were probably too busy playing Elf Lord, Probie." Sniped Tony. The woman, who had said her name was Officer Ziva David, rolled her eyes and Gibbs smacked Tony on the back of the head. Jessie's eyes narrowed, understanding Tony's previous mention of Tylenol. Let Gibbs try that with me and see what happens, she thought harshly, imagining herself tossing him over a table.

"A gang running drugs up the coast from Mexico all the way to New York made some big bucks selling drugs to Marines in Quantico. They used young Marines looking to make some fast money to transport the drugs on and off the base. A Private was killed in a dispute, tying him to the gang, so NCIS got involved and we brought in a detective recommended from Dallas P.D's Gang Division. The gang's activity had become a problem in Texas and this Detective had been on the case for several months and knew all the ins and outs," Vance continued.

"I remember this case!" Ziva exclaimed. "The detective and an agent, Higgins I think it was, they went into a warehouse where the drugs were believed to be stored without waiting for backup and they were ambushed."

Gibbs nodded. "They weren't trapped in the warehouse for long before help arrived, but it was long enough for one of the gang members to pop off a shot at Higgins. The detective dove in front of him and took the bullet…saved his life. Backup arrived seconds afterwards and they both made it out alive."

"I heard he was a damn good detective." Ziva added.

"_She_ is," Vance corrected her. "That's why I hired her."

Everyone in the room turned to stare at Jessie, Tony's mouth dropping open as if he'd seen a ghost. Even Gibbs looked shocked. Well, as shocked as Gibbs was possible of looking. Jessie moved the collar away from her left shoulder, exposing the skin and showing off her perfectly round scar that was a permanent reminder of the bullet she caught.

"I'll be damned," was all that Gibbs could say.

* * *

When they walked back down to what Jessie thought of as the squad room, they found a fifth desk wedged between Gibbs' and the plasma screen.

"That was fast," Jessie commented. She pulled her weapon out of the holster and popped the clip out, shoving it in to the top drawer of her new desk. She took off her worn and faded blue jean jacket and sank down in the cushy chair that had been provided for her, suddenly feeling very tired.

In two weeks time Jessie had sold her childhood home (the farm she grew up on and helped run), moved across the country and into a rent house in a large city, and started a new job. How could anyone get any rest with all that going on?

"Agent Harper!" Jessie jerked herself to attention at the sound of Gibbs' barking voice. She did her best not to flinch as she looked up, seeing him glaring down at her. "How much sleep did you get last night, Harper?"

"None, and my name is Jessie, not Harper." Gibbs tried to stare her down but Jessie refused to look away. Maybe Vance was right, maybe Jessie had never dealt with anyone like Gibbs before, but she had one advantage: she was absolutely positive that Gibbs had never met anyone quite liker her before either.

"Come on, I'm taking you down to forensics and autopsy." Gibbs didn't wait for her to respond, he just headed for the elevator. Jessie scooped up her jacket and dashed after him, barely reaching the elevator before it closed.

"Why are you taking me to forensics and autopsy?" She asked. Gibbs sighed.

"To meet the rest of the team."

Jessie heard the music well before they reached the automatic doors that would lead them into what Gibbs had called "Abby's World." Abby Sciuto was a tall (everyone seemed tall compared to Jessie's five feet four inches) woman that Jessie definitely thought was pretty in her own right, even with the eccentric apparel.

"Welcome to the team, Agent Harper!" Abby seemed to bounce as she spoke. She had to be the most cheerful Goth Jessie had ever come cross.

"Please, call me Jessie." Jessie replied, making Abby smile. Her teeth were a brilliant shade of white in contrast to the deep crimson red lipstick she was wearing.

"How's Gibbs treating you?" She asked, looking at Gibbs out of the corner of her eyes.

"Like I'm a spy under Vance's command." Gibbs grunted and made a few fluid motions with his hands. Jessie was floored to see him and Abby speaking in American Sign Language. Jessie glared at him when she interpreted that he had said, "I'll treat her like a spy until she proves me wrong." Abby signed, "Be nice! She seems okay. And she's pretty!"

"I knew I liked you for some reason. Thank you for calling me pretty."Jessie said aloud, making Abby jump with excitement.

"You can sign!" Abby exclaimed, and Jessie nodded, signing "I took a few classes in college and I liked it, so I kept using it regularly." Jessie glanced at Gibbs, who was scowling blackly in her direction.

"Good job! That's a first!" Abby rushed over and hugged Jessie swiftly, towering over her in her huge clunky black boots.

"What's a first?" Jessie asked, hugging Abby back a bit awkwardly. Jessie wasn't much of a hugger. Abby pulled back, looked over at Gibbs, and flashed him a feral grin.

"You made Gibbs blush!"

* * *

"Why hello Jethro! What brings you down here?" An older man with a British accent wearing moon shaped spectacles and blue scrubs greeted Gibbs, and then turned to smile at Jessie. "And who is this lovely young lady?"

Jessie smiled and extended her hand. "Agent Jessie Harper, nice to meet you, sir."

"The pleasure is all mine, my dear. I am Doctor Donald Mallard, but you may call me Ducky." Jessie shook his hand. "And this is my assistant, Mr. Jimmy Palmer." Ducky motioned to the young man in round framed glasses and a shy smile. He nodded and Jessie smiled and nodded back. "Jethro, is this young woman your date for the evening?" This time it was Jessie's turn to blush. Ducky winked at her, causing her blush to creep up her neck to her hairline. Gibbs rolled his eyes.

"No Ducky," he said. "Harper's my new agent."

"My name is Jessie," she muttered. Gibbs ignored her.

"I didn't know you hired someone." Ducky narrowed his eyes in Gibbs' direction.

"That's because I didn't." Gibbs replied flatly.

"Vance hired me, sir."

Ducky raised an eyebrow. "Without consulting Jethro here?"

"Yes, sir."

"Are you ex-military, young lady?"

"No sir. I'm just polite."

Ducky chuckled. "Well, you had better not call Jethro that. He doesn't like it very much. Your accent has a certain, I suppose you would call it a Southern draw. Are you from the South, perhaps?"

Gibbs answered before Jessie could open her mouth. "She's the detective from Dallas' Gang Division that NCIS worked with a while back."

"The one who took the bullet for that Higgins or Huggins man, whatever the poor mans name is?" Gibbs nodded. "Why, young lady, I never would have guessed." Ducky said, sounding alarmed. Jessie rubbed her shoulder out of habit, feeling the wound as if it were fresh.

"Alright Duck, why don't you cut out early? I just brought Harper down to get acclimated with the place." Gibbs ended the conversation by heading for the doors.

"My name is---"

"I know what your damned name is!" The doors slid shut and Gibbs climbed onto to the elevator, not bothering to wait for Jessie as he headed back upstairs, leaving Jessie in autopsy with a nervous looking Palmer and sympathetic Ducky.

"I know he may seem a bit…taxing, and be assured that the man will push you to your limits, but don't judge him too harshly. He's a complicated man." Ducky patted Jessie's shoulder and walked her to the elevator.

"I promise you Doctor Mallard---"

"Please, call me Ducky."

Jessie grinned. "I'm sorry, Ducky it is. But I promise you, Gibbs doesn't frighten or intimidate me in the least. He really doesn't know who he's dealing with, but he will soon enough."

"That's the spirit! Just keep your head up and you shall weather hurricane Jethro!"

The grin fell from Jessie's face and she stopped the elevator doors from closing. "I've seen…things, things that would probably give Osama Bin Laden nightmares. I've slept in places that hobos avoid. And I've come very close, more then once, to dying. Gibbs is the least of my worries. I have more frightening things other than Gibbs haunting me." Ducky looked into her eyes, trying to read her face. A few seconds later, he nodded.

"Have a nice evening, dear. I will see you soon." Jessie smiled, wished him a good night, and let the elevators close and take her back up to the floor where her teams desks were located.

"I feel sorry for her," Palmer mumbled, pulling on his coat, Ducky following close behind him, also putting on his coat and also his hat. He turned off the lights and said "It isn't our new agent that I'm worried about. No, I think Jethro may have finally met his match, Mr. Palmer. I think we have found another enigma."

"You gathered that much from one conversation?"

"Oh yes, you can sense things about people if you know what you're looking for. Yes, I could see it in the way she stood, very tensely, her shoulders squared. Always ready to be on the offensive. She's seen quite a bit of action during her short career, which I would expect from someone who was in her field. And she's determined not to let Jethro intimidate her. I could smell determination on her like stench from a warthog." Ducky and Palmer walked to the door that they exited out into the parking lot. "I think Jethro is in for a pleasant surprise with this young lady. And to think!" Ducky through his head back in laughter. "She isn't even a red head!"


	2. Chapter 2 Three Doors Down

_**Song: Goodbye Again by Vertical Horizon**_

**Chapter 2 "Three Doors Down"**

"What color was her hair anyway?" Tony wondered aloud as he, Ziva, and McGee huddled around McGee's desk to discuss their new team member.

"It was a strange mixture of auburn, brown, and almost gold." McGee replied.

"It was natural. You could see that by her roots." Ziva pointed out.

"Who the hell cares about her hair?" Gibbs snapped, sneaking up behind the small unaware group, causing them to jump and scatter to their perspective desks.

"Right boss, sorry boss," Tony muttered. "But you have to admit it's a weird color. Ziva, it can't be---"

"DiNozzo!"

"Shutting up boss."

Gibbs plopped down into his chair, glaring at the empty desk that was now encroaching on his space. The desk belonged to Jessie Harper, the most recent pain in his ass. He opened the cream colored folder that Vance had handed him before he'd left his office, finding that it was exactly what he'd thought it was: Jessie's file.

The first few pages were her references, all shining recommendations. Gibbs skipped those and the records of her decorations. He had no interest in all the paperwork that would tell him that she could do her damn job. He wanted to know what made her tick. Vance had, no doubt, warned her about Gibbs and his reputation for being a hard ass, and yet she'd seemed glaringly unconcerned and not intimidated in the slightest. He liked the fact that that the people he worked for were a bit weary of him. It made it so that it was unlikely that they would cross him. But they also needed to respect him. He always returned that respect a hundred times over and would protect them fiercely and with his life. He knew that they would do the same for him. But Jessie definitely didn't feel one ounce of fear where he was concerned. He would have to wait and see about the respect.

Gibbs began to flip through the pages, waiting for something to catch his eye, when two newspaper clippings fell onto his desk. One clipping's headline began: _**"Dallas Detectives Disappear!"**_ The second clipping read: _**"Detective Jessie Harper Found!"**_

Gibbs read each article and then the case report. He read that Jessie and her partner were checking out a tip they'd received anonymously, claiming a suspect they were looking to speak to concerning a gang related homicide was hiding out in an abandoned set of apartment buildings. They were each knocked unconscious, disarmed, and held hostage for three days. It didn't say anything about what happened during their three days of captivity; the report seemed to skip that part. The report and the article only said that Jessie's partner had been killed and Jessie set free. She was hospitalized for two weeks and returned to work a month later. Gibbs went on to read that she worked for Dallas only a few short months after the capture before taking a job with NCIS.

What happened to her during those three days, Gibbs wondered? Why had she moved all the way to Washington, D.C to join an agency hardly anyone had ever heard of? What did she expect to find?

"Enjoying my file?" Gibbs whipped his head up, eyes wide with shock. He composed himself quickly, pissed off that someone, _anyone_, could have crept up without him noticing. Especially someone wearing boots better suited for a farm then a Federal office! He didn't say anything to her, just slid all the paperwork back into the file, and then put the file in the filing cabinet behind his desk. When he turned around, Jessie hadn't moved.

"I trust you." Jessie murmured so low that only Gibbs could hear her. She didn't look away from him when she said this. For whatever reason she had, she was sincere. She trusted him not to let anyone else from the team see her file, and he wouldn't. He nodded briskly and she held his gaze for a moment longer before her lips curved into a pointed smirk. "Don't be too sore about it Gibbs. I've been told I can sneak up on just about anyone." This time her voice was perfectly audible. Gibbs glared at her until she reached her chair. She leaned back, rested her head in her hands, and Gibbs felt the sudden urge to smack the smirk right off her face. Tony chuckled until Gibbs whirled around, sending him a piercing look.

"Something funny to you, DiNozzo?"

Tony shook his head and said, "No, nothing boss."

Gibbs leaned back in his chair, focusing his mind on the tasks in front of him. He still had some paperwork he could finish up, as did the rest of the agents aside from Jessie, but after the day he'd had, he just wanted to go home and drink a tall glass of bourbon.

"Go home everyone," he ordered, getting his things ready to head out the door.

"Um," Jessie began timidly. "I hate to ask on my first day, but can I get a ride from someone? Vance had someone pick me up today to show me the way. He was afraid I'd get lost." Jessie sounded almost shy. Gibbs rolled his eyes and slung back the rest of his coffee, grimacing when he tasted how cold it was, not swallowing the liquid right away.

"Sure, I'll take you," McGee volunteered. "Where do you live?" When she rattled off her address, Gibbs sprayed cold coffee all over his filing cabinet. Tony began to laugh almost hysterically, not even silencing when Gibbs glared at him while wiping up cold coffee with a tissue.

"What's so funny?" Jessie asked, not getting the joke. By this time, Ziva and McGee had joined in the laughter.

"Because," Tony wheezed, holding his sides. "You live three doors down from Gibbs!"

Jessie froze momentarily. Gibbs tried to determine whether she had a nervous or frustrated expression, but she schooled her face very quickly.

"What a coincidence!" McGee said, still chuckling.

"No such thing as coincidences." Gibbs and Jessie said in unison. Tony's laughter died quickly as the team stared at them with wide surprised eyes. Jessie shifted her weight around, feeling self conscious. After a few long, agonizing seconds, Gibbs broke the silence.

"Well, come on Harper. I'm not gonna stand here all night." He barked. Jessie gathered her things quickly and raced after Gibbs, saying a quick goodnight to the remaining agents.

"Is it just me or does she remind you guys of Gibbs?" Tony asked as he watched his boss and their newest addition walk out of the building.

"Not just you," replied McGee, shuttering a little. No one liked the idea of two Gibbs' in the office.

* * *

The half hour car ride was a silent car ride. Jessie had sensed that Gibbs was a man of few words, and she was right. She was thankful because she, too, didn't feel the need to fill silent moments with idle chatter. She leaned her head against the cool glass that was the passenger side window. She watched buildings flash by them, buildings filled with strangers living their lives, most of them happily unaware and unaffected by the goings on in the underbelly of society that Jessie had immersed herself in since the age of twenty-one.

So many people, she mused miserably. Yes, she'd spent quite a bit of time in a large city, but at night she would always go back to her little town, to her little plot of land, and that's the way she liked it. She didn't belong in a city, she knew this. Back in Texas, her closest neighbor was a mile up the road. In D.C., she barely had a yard. But as much as she didn't belong in a place that exceeded a population of two-thousand, she also didn't belong on the farm anymore.

She packed up everything she owned and sold it to a young couple who wanted to raise horses, pigs, chickens, and children. It had been the right thing to do, to sell. She wouldn't let the horrors she'd experienced taint the innocence of her childhood home.

Jessie shook herself mentally as Gibbs' car came to a stop in front of her cute two story house. As much as she disliked the hustle and bustle of the city and lack of personal space, she had to admit that she liked her modern brick home.

"Thanks for the lift." Jessie smiled at the silver haired driver. She was surprised when he cut the engine. "Um…" Jessie stepped out of the car at the same time Gibbs did. "You really don't have to…" But he was already in step beside her, intent on walking her to the door. As she was shoving her key into the handle she politely invited Gibbs inside, assuming he would decline. She'd assumed wrong.

"Would you like something to drink?" Jessie asked, flipping on the living room light before walking into the kitchen. She wished she'd of done at least a little unpacking, but alas, she was pretty much living out of boxes and suitcases at the moment.

"Bourbon, if you've got it." Gibbs replied as he shifted a few boxes onto the floor so that he could sit down on the brown leather couch.

"Um, sorry, no alcohol in the house…I don't drink." Gibbs raised an eyebrow in response, and then asked for coffee, which Jessie happily obliged. The only kitchen necessities she'd unpacked so far was her coffee mugs and pot.

She wandered back into the living room while the coffee made, coloring slightly in her cheeks because of embarrassment. She didn't want her new boss seeing her house covered in boxes.

"Sorry about the mess," she said from the doorframe she was posted up against. That was a tell tale sign that Jessie was nervous. She would hang back in the entrance of a room, lean against a doorframe or a wall, and stand there until she could leave or the nervousness subsided. Seeing as it was her house, she couldn't exactly make a quick getaway, and with Gibbs sitting on her couch surveying her wreck of a living room, there was no hope in alleviating the nervous tension.

"I've moved quite a bit in my day." Gibbs shrugged. "I understand." He rose from his seat and started toward the kitchen. "Coffees ready."

"Oh!" Jessie jumped and shuffled into the kitchen, grabbing a mug out of one of the cabinets and wiped it with a dishtowel before handing it to Gibbs. He gave her a questioning look, eyeing just the one mug.

"I better not have any. I'll get too keyed up." Coffee always woke her up and the only thing she wanted to do was sleep. It was fairly early in the evening, only eight O'clock, yet she was exhausted. She knew she should try to get some unpacking done but shrugged it off, thinking that it was a task best kept for the weekend if she didn't want to pass out with her head in a box.

Gibbs sat down at the small round table Jessie had pushed close to the large window, and Jessie joined him. After a few short seconds, Jessie broke the silence.

"You don't want me on your team."

Gibbs studied her for a second. "Nope," was all he said.

"I'm not gonna quit, you know." It was in that moment that Gibbs first noticed Jessie's eyes. Upon first inspection they seemed a very rich color of blue, but sitting across the table from her, her eyes never shying away from his, he saw the flecks of green and gray mixed in with the sapphire depth, like an imperfect stone.

"You quit your job with Dallas P.D. Why should I believe you won't do the same here when things get hard?"

"I guess you don't!" Jessie snapped, glaring hard at Gibbs, resenting the implication. "Look, you've got my file, you know what happened."

Gibbs shook his head. "Nope, not everything, because there were chunks of the case report missing. The only thing I know is that you wound up in a hospital and your partner ended up dead."

Jessie visibly stiffened. "Whatever the Director felt you needed to know, you have in that file. Everything else is my personal business that I am under no obligation to share with you."

Gibbs sipped his coffee, looking very nonchalant, which only added to Jessie's frustration. If she'd had a decent nights sleep in the last two weeks she would have been able to stay calm and collected, but taking into consideration how tired she was Gibbs was lucky she didn't just shoot him.

"We're Federal agents, Harper," Gibbs said with a sigh. "And sometimes our pasts come back to haunt eyes. If we're gonna work together, I have to know that you can do your job. The lives of every single member of my team count on it."

Jessie slammed her fist down onto the table, making the now empty coffee mug jump. "My past wont come back to haunt me or anyone else here, because my past is six feet under, alright? And I can damn well do my job, probably better then you'll ever give me credit for, but it'll get done." Jessie snatched up the mug and tossed it into the sink, flinching when she heard the sound of breaking glass. She gripped the side of the sink and closed her eyes. "I'm very tired."

"I can tell," Gibbs replied as he rose from his seat. "Thanks for the coffee." The sound of the front door clicking shut sent a wave of relief through Jessie's body. She went straight upstairs to her room, not bothering to clean up the broken glass.

* * *

_Jessie was running down a long hallway filled with doors, her ribs aching, her breath short. She was covered in blood, his blood, and she couldn't get the image out of her head. The boy, no older then seventeen, putting the gun up to Rick's temple. He smiled as he pulled the trigger. "Run, Detective! Just run!" and then the only sound she could hear was a high pitched scream. Her scream. _

"RICK!" Jessie jumped out of bed, grabbing the gun that she kept beneath her pillow, aiming it toward the door. When she realized that she'd been having a nightmare she lowered her weapon, feeling slightly like an idiot. She wiped the sweat from her face and laid back down, glancing at the clock. She groaned when she saw that she only had a few hours before she would begin her first official day as an NCIS Special Agent. She rolled over and did her best to fall back to sleep, knowing that she was going to need all her strength, mental and physical, to face Agent Gibbs once again.

**Authors Note: I have gotten such an awesome reception for this story! It makes me so happy! This hasn't been the easiest few months…My boyfriend dumped me, my Dad found out he has lung cancer, and my friends sorta dumped me because I'm not fun anymore. Who would think all that combined would make someone so depressed, huh? Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you so much for the reviews and alerts and etc., It means a lot. Reading the reviews from ya'll is the highlight of my day because it makes me feel appreciated and wanted. I am very thankful for it. Chapter 3 is in the process of being written and should be up ASAP! Again, thank you all!!!! -Alison**


	3. Chapter 3 Hangmen's Noose

**Chapter 3 "Hangmen's Noose" **

Jessie was gearing up to go on her first crime scene with NCIS. It wasn't even noon yet and she was already exhausted. After being awoken by her all too familiar nightmare she found herself unable to fall asleep again. She'd gotten up and unpacked a few boxes before chugging down two cups of coffee and getting ready for work.

As soon as she stepped out her front door, key in hand ready to lock the door behind her, she saw Agent Gibbs' car parked on the curb. He was sitting on the hood, sipping what she could only assume to be coffee out of a to-go cup. She stood on her porch and stared at him until he grew impatient. "You gonna get in the damn car or just stand there and stare at me all morning?" On the way she asked him why he picked her up. The only answer she got was, "Didn't want you to be late."

* * *

"You ready for this, new girl?" Tony teased lightly. Jessie rolled her eyes.

"I've seen more crime scenes then you've seen naked women," she retorted.

"HA! I highly doubt that!"

"So wait, does this mean that I actually get to call someone else Probie?" McGee eyed Jessie hopefully as the agents walked out to the parking lot.

"She used to work with gang members, Probalicious. I wouldn't if I were you. _I'm_ not even stupid enough to try that." Tony said.

"He has a point, McGee. You would have to be very stupid to top Tony." said Ziva. McGee gave Jessie an appraising look. She popped her knuckles and raised an eyebrow at him.

As Gibbs breezed by them, he grinned and said, "She can take you, McGee. Let it go."

* * *

The crime scene was unlike any crime scene Jessie had ever been to in her entire career. She was used to dead bodies and blood, gun shots, knife wounds, men and woman, and for sure too many children. But never before had she seen a man sporting camouflage, hanging from a rope died around the chimney of his two-story home.

"Just when I thought I'd seen it all," she muttered.

"Harper, you have experience with grieving widows?" Gibbs asked as he examined Staff Sergeant Peter Sandoval from where he dangled.

"Plenty," she replied.

"DiNozzo, go with her to talk to Mrs. Sandoval and find out if this guy had a reason to off himself." He ordered. "Where the hell is Ducky?" As soon as Gibbs barked out the inquiry, the Englishman rounded the corner, a wide brimmed hat that reminded Jessie of women working in their gardens back home, reprimanding his assistant for getting them lost.

"Never again!" Palmer blustered. "I'm never giving you the map again, Doctor! No matter how much you beg! And I'm buying a GPS system!"

"Well, I don't know why on earth you haven't thought of that before now, Mr. Palmer! But in my day we didn't need fancy electronic equipment to find a specific location. We would use the stars and…"

"Ducky!" Gibbs held up his hand and stopped Ducky before he could continue with his ranting.

"Ah, yes. Poor lad," said the doctor to the stiff. "How in Heavens name did you manage to find yourself there?" Jessie smiled at Ducky, fondness for the man already growing, before somberly accompanying DiNozzo into the house to speak to the wife the Staff Sergeant left behind.

* * *

The interview began about as smoothly as a cheese grater. Tony asked most of the questions at first, being very direct and to the point, which soon caused the tiny young widow to simmer.

"Why are you assuming my Peter killed himself? Why?!" She shrieked at Tony, her heavy Spanish accent giving extra fire to her words. "He would _never_ take his own life! It is against the laws of our Lord!"

"DiNozzo, why don't you let me chat with Mrs. Sandoval, huh?" Jessie suggested, not eager to see that tiny little woman attack her partner.

"But Gibbs said---"

"I'll handle Gibbs." Jessie set her jaw and pointed toward the door, mentally hoping the doorknob hit him on his arrogant ass on the way out.

"Your funeral," he muttered then shrugged and walked out of the house and back into the back yard where the crime scene was located. Jessie smiled kindly at the distraught woman.

"I'm sorry about him," she sighed. "Tony doesn't understand what it means to be Catholic."

"You are Catholic?" Mrs. Sandoval's eyes lit up, obviously hoping that she'd found someone who could understand what she believed suicide would mean for her husbands soul. Jessie pulled her necklace from the inside of her shirt, moving closer to the woman, showing her the silver Saint Michael medal hanging from a delicate silver chain.

"In my line of work, I've always felt like I needed Saint Michael close to my heart." Jessie said softly. Mrs. Sandoval's eyes began to fill with tears. She grasped Jessie's hands tightly, her eyes pleading for reassurance.

"Then surely you know why it was not possible for my husband to take his own life!" Her voice cracked with emotion as the tears spilled over. "What will I tell our son when he asks why his father is not buried in his rightful place, at our church?" Jessie looked down at her hands, entwined with this stranger in an intimate gesture. Jessie couldn't answer the woman's please, couldn't rightfully alleviate her fears, so she said the only thing she could say.

"I will do everything in my power to find out what happened to your husband, ma'am. I give you my word." She gently pulled away her hand and stood to leave. Before exiting the kitchen, Jessie paused at the door. "And tell your son that his father loved him and was a brave soldier, and that's all that matters in the end."

* * *

"I told you to question the wife with Harper! What the hell are you doing out here, DiNozzo?" Tony shrugged.

"I pissed off Mrs. Sandoval and Jessie told me to beat it."

"Is Harper your boss? Do you take orders from her?"

"Well, she didn't give me much room to argue, boss." He laughed. "In fact, and this is really funny---"

"What is so funny, DiNozzo? Please, enlighten me." Tony flushed and stammered, caught off guard as Gibbs whirled around on him, which was obviously the point.

"Um, well, it's just, well you know, boss…"

"He thinks you and Agent Harper are quite similar." Ziva interrupted, growing tired of Tony's yammering. Gibbs gave Tony a look that sent him shuffling off toward McGee. Gibbs stomped toward Ducky, irritated as hell that Tony had left Jessie alone with the widow. It wasn't just because he'd told Tony not to. It was because Jessie had told him to leave. And he'd _listened_ to her! He listened to her and not him. It was setting a bad precedent!

"What do we got, Ducky?" Gibbs asked the doctor, who was busy helping his assistant lower the body to the ground.

"Time of death appears to be about two O'clock this morning. McGee and Tony are on the roof, checking for evidence. I won't speculate, Jethro, not until I get him into autopsy." Gibbs huffed.

"Was it suicide?"

"Well, it appears so, but---"

"No, it wasn't suicide." Gibbs turned around to see Jessie standing a few feet behind him. He scowled at her, and then at her clothes. There was no way that she could chase down a suspect in boots like those.

"How do you know?"

"The wife is positive that he'd never hang it up like that." Gibbs rolled his eyes.

"Okay, but why?"

"Their Catholic."

"And let me guess, so are you?" Jessie nodded. Gibbs let out a heavy breath. Here we go again.

"I had an agent feel the same way you did about the alleged suicide of a young Navy Petty Officer. She was Catholic and so was he. You know what I told her?" Jessie didn't respond. She just stood there, her hands on her hips, waiting for Gibbs to get to the point.

"I told her," Gibbs ground out. "That she didn't need to let her personal beliefs cloud her judgment."

"Was she right?" Jessie asked.

"About what?"

"Was it suicide?" Gibbs glared hard at her.

"Accidental suicide. But this," Gibbs pointed at the chimney. "Is obvious!"

Jessie turned on her heels and walked away, yelling over her shoulder, "It still ain't suicide!" Gibbs made her ride with the body back to the Navy Yard.

* * *

Jessie sat at her desk, doing her best not to glare at the silver haired man to her right. She'd ridden in the back of a trust with a rotting corpse for almost two hours, just because she'd had the nerve to disagree. If she didn't love her freedom so much she'd of shot him. Jessie angrily jerked herself out of her chair and stomped toward the elevator.

"Where you going Harper?" Gibbs asked, not looking up from his paperwork. Jessie didn't answer. She just pressed the down button. "I said---" Jessie smiled and waved as the doors slid shut. She smiled all the way down to Abby's lab.

* * *

"I heard Gibbs made you ride with the body." Abby said in form of a greeting when Jessie walked into her lab.

"I take it DiNozzo called you," she growled. Abby looked up from her microscope.

"Actually, McGee texted me when you all were driving back." Abby smiled cheerfully. "And nice growl! Very Gibbs like." Jessie shook her head.

"Found anything yet?" Jessie asked, wanting to steer the conversation away from Gibbs and their similarities.

"Ducky hasn't sent me anything yet, but I did find some hair attached to Staff Sergeant Sandoval's clothing, but I don't think it's human." Abby stepped aside to let Jessie look through the lenses. "The coloring is a dusty shade, almost orange. I'm pretty sure it's cat fur. I used to have a cat that was orange. His name was Jasper and he was super fat. At least, everyone else thought he was fat, but I didn't think so. He also didn't have a tail."

"Abby, I---" Jessie tried to stop her chattering but to no avail.

"Oh no, I didn't cut his tail off! He was a minx! At least, I think so."

"STOP!" Jessie shouted. Abby fell silent and wide eyed. "Sorry," Jessie said in a softer voice. "I was just going to point out that the Sandoval's don't have pets. Not even a fish."

"Why are you two talking about fish?" Jessie's shoulders immediately began to tense up when she heard the sound of _his_ voice.

"Just in time Gibbs!" Abby smiled brightly, taking the large fountain drink that Gibbs was holding out to her.

"What do you got for me Abbs?"

Jessie didn't stick around to hear Abby give Gibbs the information she'd just heard moments ago. With a quick goodbye to Abby, Jessie pressed the down button that would take her down to autopsy.

"You shouldn't have made her ride with the body, Gibbs. Very not nice." Abby scolded lightly.

"Oh, I didn't think a big bad tough gangs detective would be bothered." Gibbs smirked a little.

"You still didn't have to be a jerk to her." Abby said frankly. "Plus, if you bothered to talk to her, you'd find out you two have a lot in common."

"And how would you know?" Gibbs asked incredulously. Abby shrugged.

"You guys share some of the same mannerisms. It's kind of spooky actually. She growls like you." Gibbs raised a surprised eyebrow.

"I growl?" He asked.

"You growl." She confirmed.

"Alright Abbs, tell me about this cat."

* * *

"Why hello Agent Harper, what a pleasant surprise!" Ducky greeted warmly while standing over the open body of Staff Sergeant Sandoval.

"Please, call me Jessie. Am I intruding?"

"Heavens no, my dear. I was just jotting down the contents of this poor young mans stomach. He'd eaten a steak and a baked potato with all the fixings." Jessie's stomach suddenly began to rumble. The talk of food reminded her that she'd skipped breakfast that morning. Jessie moved closer to examine the body and Ducky chuckled.

"Thank goodness you have a strong stomach," the older man mused. "Poor McGee had a very difficult time the first time he came down here to see me. I'm quite glad he's toughened himself up a bit. No doubt working with Jethro helped with that quite a it."

"I've seen my fair share of dead bodies," Jessie assured him. "And I've been present during many autopsies."

"Very good! And oh, I'm very sorry Jethro forced you to ride with the body. I tried to convince him otherwise."

"No problem, Doctor. The body didn't bother me at all. So have you found---"

"Found anything, Duck?" Jessie whirled around and glared at the smirking man who just entered the room.

"What the hell are you, following me or something?" Ducky laughed.

"I'm sure he isn't following you, Jessie. You see, Jethro has a strange sixth sense of sorts when it comes to investigating a crime. He always manages to turn up down here or in Abby's lab right as we've made a discovery or right before we're about to contact him with the news. It seems to be a trait you two share." Jessie huffed.

"What did you find, Ducky?" Gibbs asked. Ducky shuffled off toward his desk, handing Gibbs a few blown up pictures of a mans naked back.

"These are photos Mr. Palmer took upon our Staff Sergeant's arrival. Do you see anything unusual?" Jessie studied the photo for a moment before gaping.

"A footprint!" She exclaimed.

"Yes, a foot print. I'm going to need to see if Abby can somehow find out the exact size and type of shoe that made this print. It is in the middle of his back, so I imagine a well placed kick would easily have knocked Staff Sergeant Sandoval off his feet."

"And send him tumbling off a roof with a rope tied around his neck."

"Yes," Ducky nodded. "I found multiple wounds that are consistent to one falling off of a rooftop." He held up a glass jar with a chunk of some black object inside. "I pulled this from his arm and I'd bet my Morgan that this is a piece of a shingle from the roof."

"He didn't jump," Gibbs mused. "He was kicked."

"Which means it wasn't suicide!" Jessie exclaimed. "We've got ourselves a murder, Gibbs."

**Authors Note: Hey ya'll, sorry for the delay! I've been working on some of my own writings as well, but here is chapter 3! I haven't began chapter 4 yet but I'm sure I will soon! I hope you guys enjoy this! And I want to hear everyone's opinions! Like, what do ya'll think should happen between Gibbs and Jessie? Or perhaps DiNozzo and Jessie? Hmmmmm? Anyway, I'll get chapter 4 up as soon as possible! R&R! Oh, this chapter doesn't have a song, fyi. No song really fit. Thanks for the support! -Alison**


	4. Chapter 4 From Russia With Love

**Chapter 4 "To Russia With Love" **

Staff Sergeant Sandoval and his family did not own an orange cat, but the man Sandoval had been running drugs for on the side, did. He also just happened to wear a size twelve boot. It had been over drugs. When Abby tested the white substance that she'd found on the clothes Sandoval had been murdered in, she found it to be cocaine; a special cut being sold on the streets by the Russian mob that had recently begun upping activity in the D.C area. The agents dug through the Sandoval's finances, phone records, anything they could get their hands on, and slowly the pieces began to fall together and the team had enough to make an arrest.

Jessie and Gibbs visited Sandoval's widow, who was horrified to find that her husband had been involved with organized crime. Jessie explain to her that, more then likely, he'd felt he had no choice. He was probably threatened, his family in true mortal danger. Gibbs gave the widow his word that he would do his best to make sure she and her son got the full death benefits, no matter the circumstances of his death. It was then that Jessie got her first glimpse into the depth of Special Agent Jethro Gibbs' character. She hadn't expected him to be so tender with the widow, but he was. He seemed to emphasize with her, telling her that he knew what it felt like to lose someone under horrendous circumstances. Jessie also knew what it felt to lose someone, and she momentarily wondered who Gibbs had lost.

The whole team plus several F.B.I agents stormed the warehouse where one Alexey Orlov was located. They were met by a hail of gunfire, Orlov's employees doing their best to protect their superior. Jessie managed to move around the gunfire undetected, staying behind large shipping crates and letting her team serve as a distraction. There was a room in the back of the warehouse that the bulk of the guards were trying to protect. Jessie saw through the window that there were three men in the room, and she recognized the man responsible for Staff Sergeant Peter Sandoval's murder, Orlov himself.

Filled with rage, Jessie kicked in the door, throwing a hard elbow into the face of the nearest man. The other man advanced but wasn't fast enough. She kicked him in the groin, and when he hit his knees she brought his face down hard on her knee, sending him flailing unconscious into the floor. Orlov was trying to pull a weapon but Jessie was in front of him, her gun in his face, before he could blink.

"Put your hands behind your head, slowly." Jessie smirked, daring him with her eyes to reach for his weapon. He met her gaze steadily and she could tell he was contemplating his chances of making it out of that room alive. He must have determined that the odds were against him because he raised his hands and placed them behind his head, nodding at her as if it were an admission of defeat. Moments later Jessie had him in handcuffs and was taking him out of his sanctuary into federal custody.

"Don't shoot! Coming out!" Jessie shouted, knowing her partners would hear her, but pushing Orlov in front of her just in case one of the F.B.I agents decided to get a little happy with the trigger. She was greeted by three confused faces and one nasty glare.

"How did you sneak back there?!" Tony exclaimed, obviously not having noticed that she'd left his side.

"You could of gotten yourself killed," Gibbs ground out, snatching Orlov from her grasp. The warehouse was crawling with NCIS and F.B.I, both fighting over jurisdiction. Apparently they'd just busted up a major crime ring and everyone wanted a piece of the action.

"Thanks for cleaning up our mess, Jethro," said an older balding man with a smooched face and a trench coat.

"You should have told us about the Russians, Tobias. They were right in our backyard." This exchange when on for the next few minutes until the fed finally acknowledged Jessie's presence.

"New to the team?" He asked Gibbs, motioning toward Jessie with his thumb.

"Vance hired her," he said flatly, walking away without introducing her. Jessie rolled her eyes and extended her hand.

"Agent Jessie Harper," she said and he took her hand, shaking it firmly.

"Tobias Fornell," he smiled. "That was good work back there."

Jessie smiled. "Gibbs thinks I took an unnecessary risk."

Fornell tossed his head back and laughed. "The only person on Gibbs' team who is allowed to take an unnecessary risk is Gibbs." Fornell walked away then, unknowingly leaving Jessie with a bit more insight on the mysterious man in charge.

Gibbs stormed into autopsy, a manila folder being crushed by his intense grip.

"Good evening Jethro," greeted Ducky, who took the folder and smoothed it out. "I'll have these filled out and on your desk in the morning." Gibbs nodded but didn't go anywhere. He was too keyed up to go back to the squad room.

"She almost got herself killed, Duck! First case!" Gibbs plopped very uncharacteristically down in a nearby chair.

"I take it we are talking about Jessie?" Ducky inquired, pulling up a chair as well.

Over the course of the case Gibbs had worked closely with Jessie and had discovered a few things about her and the way she worked. She was a quick draw and a good shot. She was light on her feet and he didn't understand how anyone could manage to be stealthy in boots! She was a top notch interrogator and was even better with witnesses. But there was something about her that bothered him. She acted like she was ten feet tall and bulletproof, and it reminded him too much of Jenny. She was thorough with a crime scene but threw caution to the wind when it came to her life. She was always the first to volunteer to go into an unlit area and Gibbs watched her get down on the ground and wrestle with one of the Russian's drug dealers, even though he was twice her size. She'd taken a few lumps, but managed to squeeze out Orlov's location, leading to his arrest. And then there was the stunt at the warehouse. She just didn't think of her other options, she just went with her gut. This thought made Gibbs grimace.

"Jessie was her job, Jethro. That firefight would have gone on for ages if she'd not intervened!"

"I know," Gibbs sighed. "But she didn't even stop to see if there was any other way. If she'd just given me a second---"

"Then you would have done the same exact thing, and perhaps not have been as successful." Ducky smiled and Gibbs glared. "Tell me Jethro, had Tony been the one to take a risk, would you have had the same reaction?"

"It's different," Gibbs snapped. Ducky nodded.

"Indeed it is. You've never lost a man close to you, but it seems that any woman you become close to…"

Gibbs stood quickly and shook his head. "She's on my team Ducky, so she's my responsibility. But nothing more." Gibbs turned and left quickly, leaving Ducky alone to shake his head.

"Yet, Jethro," Ducky said to himself. "Nothing more _yet_."

* * *

The car ride home was stressful in itself, to say the least. Gibbs had continued picking Jessie up every morning and taking her home at the end of the day. If Gibbs stayed later then the rest of the team, she always refused the ride someone else always offered. Gibbs didn't understand why she always waited just like she didn't understand why he always picked her up. But after a month of doing so, it became an unspoken agreement between the two. Some mornings they would ride in a comfortable silence, drinking their first cup of the day in peace. And some days they would make idle conversation about the case or even the water, but it was never more in depth then this. But this time was different. This silence was anything but comfortable.

Gibbs was pissed. She could tell by the set jaw and tense muscles. His knuckles were white from how tightly he gripped the wheel.

"So are you gonna---" Jessie tried to speak but Gibbs didn't let her finish.

"Do you have a death wish?" Gibbs snapped. Jessie rolled her eyes.

"I didn't do anything you wouldn't have done."

"You don't know what I would've done!"

"I saw an opportunity to end a situation that was getting out of hand, and I took it. I don't understand what the issue is!"

Gibbs came to a screeching halt in front of her house. He turned to her and yelled, "The issue is that it wasn't your call! You take risks that are unneeded. If you're trying to use this job as suicide, take it somewhere else!" Jessie was stunned, but only for a moment. She ripped off her seatbelt and threw the door open, climbing out and slamming the door. She walked heavy footed up to the door and heard Gibbs rev up the engine before driving to his house three doors down. She watched him whip into the driveway and she went into the house, slamming the door behind her.

Jessie slept fitfully that night, the word "suicide" ringing loudly in her ears. She was taken back to the days after she was released from the hospital after her…incident. That's how she thought about it, as an incident. Most days she pretended that it never happened, but sometimes she just couldn't pretend it away.

In the days after her release from the hospital, Jessie had been reckless. She threw herself into dangerous situations, not caring about her well being or whether she lived or died. As far as she was concerned, she'd died that day in that apartment along with Rick. It was the day she'd taken the bullet for the NCIS agent that she realized that she could do more good alive then dead. She still took chances, sure, but she didn't want to die. Would she? Absolutely, if it ever came down to that. She wasn't scared of dying. Living was what terrified her most days…

Tears stung her eyes as she tossed the covers off of her bed. Jessie fell asleep around two in the morning, her last thoughts being about the partner whom she'd left behind, and her new boss that she wished she could lose.

**Authors Note: **

**I know I know, you all hate me. I'm sorry, but I have a wonderful reason why I was so lax on updating. I finished my first novel!!!! Well, sorta. I finished the first draft at least. It has a lot of tweaking needed, but the basic skeleton is done and I'm so happy! Also, my boyfriend and I got back together, and my dad is doing wonderfully on chemo! His tumor shrank to over half its size. School also started so that's been taking up time. But overall, life is pretty okay…except for on September 11****th****, a friend of mine since I was 8 was murdered in her apartment… some of you may have heard about it. It was on the news. She was the art student from Dallas, Shelley Nance. Go visit her deviantart and pay your respects to a wonderful artist and a beautiful friend. She will be missed. .com/**

**Also, I would like to apologies for this chapter. I was in such a rush writing it and to get it out to keep people from tossing stones at me, it kind of sucks. So, I'm aware it sucks, so please no flames! Chapter 5 should be much better and will be making some Jessie/Gibbs progress! I have most of it written already, it only needs to be typed, edited, and submitted! Thanks for the support guys!!!!!!!!!!! **

**Alison**


	5. Chapter 5 Care

**Chapter 5 "Care"**

**Song: No Envy, No Fear- Joshua Radin**

As the next few months went creeping by and the weather grew colder, Jessie began to hate living in D.C., with a passion. She despised living in the city. One of her neighbors (whom she'd never met) had three little yapping weenie dogs that seemed to enjoy barking at all hours of the night. Her other neighbors were a young couple who liked to throw huge parties. The noise hit an intolerable level around two in the morning during one of said parties; so much so that Jessie got up, knocked on the door, and started flashing her badge around, telling them to cool it. The next morning she had eggs all over her mailbox. She'd never had problems like that on the farm.

And it was _cold_. It was early November and Jessie knew that in Texas they were probably just beginning to feel a small nip in the air. But in D.C., the weatherman was threatening her with snow. _Snow_! She'd never so much as played in the slushy grey crap, nevertheless knew how to drive in it!

And the worst part of D.C.? Gibbs.

He still picked her up in the morning and dropped her off at night, but that was where the pleasantries began and ended. At work, he was constantly pushing her. Since her first ride with a corpse, she has since made three rides just like it, if she got to go out on the field at all. More often then not, Jessie was just left in the squad room doing background checks and pulling phone records instead of being out in the field like everyone else. The only upside to that was the fact that she'd made close friends out of Abby, Ducky, and McGee.

Jessie was thankful to have a girl she could chat with. Ziva was intense and Jessie didn't feel like she was the girl to go to for advice on what movie to rent on the weekend. Abby had invited Jessie over a few times and she had to admit, she was digging the coffin.

Her conversations with McGee were often interesting and comforting. He shared his horror stories from the first year or so that he worked under Agent Gibbs and she found strength in the fact that they almost mirrored her own experiences. She enjoyed hearing about his books and the reactions that his teammates had had upon learning that the characters were based off them. However, she didn't like the way he'd sometimes watch her, rub his chin, and comment on how he'd gotten an idea for his third novel.

But Jessie mostly enjoyed her time down in autopsy with Ducky. She learned so much from him about anatomy and how fragile the body truly was, but she also learned more about the human mind. The doctor was a wonderful profiler and Jessie often went straight to him when she needed to find herself in the mind of a suspect.

She also found that she could confide in him as well. He was one of the only people who she felt she could be one hundred percent herself around, complaints and all. That's one reason she found herself in the cool sterile room with Ducky after a particularly nasty ride with a body.

She walked into autopsy, an ice pack covering her forehead in hopes of keeping a large lump from forming. Ducky grimaced.

"He made you ride in the back of the truck again?" He asked, bringing his hand to her face to remove the ice pack. When he saw her face, he flinched harder.

"Ziva drove," Jessie said flatly.

"Sit down my dear." Ducky pulled up a stool for her. "You have a small cut that needs attention." He looked at the lump again. "And aspirin. You are going to need aspirin."

Jessie groaned and threw the ice pack against the wall. "I'm sick of him, Ducky!" She raved. "I can't take it anymore!"

Ducky pulled up a stool in front of her, a tray of cotton balls and antibacterial cream to his side. "Then quit," he said simply, dabbing her forehead with a cotton ball. It stung and she hissed through her teeth.

"I can't do that. It's what he's trying to get me to do."

Ducky nodded. "That's exactly why you only have two other options."

Jessie raised an eyebrow. "Which are…?"

"To either grin and bear it," he rubbed in the antibacterial cream to her wound gently. "Or stand up to him." Ducky then handed her a bottle of water and two small white pills.

"I try to talk to him but he just…_dismisses_ me!" Jessie hopped off the stool and paced the floor.

"Then don't let him!" Ducky smiled. "Make him listen, Jessie. He'll respect you for it in the long run."

Jessie stopped pacing and hugged the doctor quickly. "Thanks Ducky," she pointed at her head. "For everything."

"Oh don't mention in my dear. It's not often I get to work on a live patient!"

Jessie smiled a little uneasily, picked up her ice pack, and meandered her way slowly back to her desk, where she began to fool around on her computer until the rest of the team returned from the latest crime scene. Tony's nose was red and Ziva was wrapped in a scarf and thick jacket.

"It started snowing. We had to hike out a mile into a pasture because the damn truck couldn't make it!" Tony complained. Jessie groaned. _Great_, she thought. _Snow, just what I need_.

She walked across the room and gazed out the window into the Navy Yard, surprised that she wasn't watching dull gray pieces of slush float to the ground, but watching the pure while flakes drift from the gray sky. It stuck to the ground, leaving the land appearing to have been covered by a white fluffy blanket. It's ironic, she thought, that snow could be so cold but look so warm. She shivered involuntarily, feeling the cold seeping through the glass. God, she missed the farm.

Jessie heard the elevator door slide open and saw Gibbs emerge from inside out of the corner of her eye. He glared at her for a moment, no doubt wondering why she wasn't behind her desk doing whatever meaningless task he'd given her to do before they went back to visit the scene.

She saw him walking toward her (thank goodness for excellent peripheral vision) and saw him ready his hand. In the time she'd been with NCIS she'd seen Gibbs give one of his infamous Gibbs' slaps many times to various people. The only people she'd never seen him do it to was Ducky and Vance. He'd given the back of her head a smack or two and it had sent her into a fury, causing her to stomp down to autopsy to relieve some steam.

But today, she was not in the mood to be Gibbs' slapped.

When Gibbs reached up to smack her, she whirled around and grabbed his wrist, pressing her thumb down on the main artery. He dropped the coffee cup he'd been holding, its steaming contents spilling out onto the floor, soaking the bottom of her blue jeans and his slacks.

The whole squad room fell into silence. Everyone was still, except for Tony and Ziva who had leapt to their feet, seeming to think that the situation could turn violent at any moment. Every muscle in Jessie's body was tense, ready to react if Gibbs made a move. Her focus was on him and him alone. She didn't hear the ding of the elevator or notice Ducky and Abby emerge. She barely registered Abby's gasp or Ducky say, "Oh my…"

Jessie wasn't going to back down. _This is what Ducky meant_, she thought. She had to stand up for herself, and this was the moment she chose. She wasn't pressing on his pressure point anymore, but she did not relax her grip. Gibbs didn't make a move to twist himself from her grasp, though she knew he could have easily if he wanted. They stood there, motionless, never breaking eye contact.

His eyes were ice blue and she shivered again, but this time not from the cold coming from outside. His eyes were deep, long seeing. If she didn't know better she would say that she could _feel_ his stare deep down inside her, penetrating her defenses. It was impossible, she thought. It had to be some sort of trick, like the kind he would use against a suspect in interrogation. He was trying to unnerve her and she couldn't let him win.

Jessie didn't know how long the stand off had lasted before Gibbs spoke.

"You've got a strong grip."

Jessie was shocked so shocked by the compliment that she nearly dropped his hand, but she recovered quickly.

"Next time you try that, I'll break your wrist." She snapped. Gibbs stayed quiet for a moment before nodding.

"Fair enough."

"Um, Jethro," came Ducky's voice from the edge of Tony's desk. "May I see you down in my lab for a moment?"

"If she'll let me go." As Gibbs said this, Jessie could swear that he almost smiled. She released his wrist and took a step back. As soon as Gibbs and Ducky disappeared inside the elevator, everyone else breathed a sigh of relief.

"Anyone else think that was going to end with blood?" Abby asked, getting a snort from Tony. Abby began chatting with McGee about whatever she'd come up for in the first place and Tony seemed to make small talk with Ziva, but she knew they were still glancing back at her.

Jessie turned her back to her teammates and faced the window once again, wanting to watch the snow for a minute longer. She saw an ice sickle form on the window and her thoughts turned to Gibbs and the color of his eyes. She decided his eyes were like snow; ironic, because they were cold and warm at the same time.

* * *

"And do you care to tell me what that was all about?" Ducky asked Gibbs as he marched through the door into autopsy.

Gibbs was shaken up, so naturally, he was angry. He couldn't let anyone know that he'd been caught off guard and shocked by Jessie. She'd surprised him by how quick she was. She'd whirled around on her toes and snatched his wrist out of the air so quickly he'd almost not seen it. And the force she'd squeezed his wrist with was enough to take someone like McGee to his knees. She was as strong as Ziva, maybe even more so! But it wasn't her strength and reflexes that had disturbed him. It was her eyes.

Jessie's eyes were a color he'd never seen before in his many years of life. From a distance they looked a vibrant blue, perhaps only a shade darker then his own. But standing toe to toe with her, he saw the green mixed in, nearly blending with the blue to create it's own unique color not found in nature. And it had momentarily stirred some kind of emotion in him. And that's what scared Gibbs to death.

"What do you have for me, Duck?" Gibbs didn't speak unkindly, but with enough finality that Ducky knew the conversation was over before it had even begun. Ducky sighed and walked over to his desk, pulling out a file from the top drawer.

"I found soil under the fingernails of our victim. I sent a sample to Abby for testing and she found a specific compound, unique to a place called _Wahya Lake Park_, located about four hours from here."Ducky pulled up a map of the park on his computer. "It looks like a rather nice place. They have cabins you can rent year round. I've been considering doing so, perhaps taking in some fishing."

Gibbs chuckled. "Looks like you may get your wish. Start packing; we're going on a little trip."

* * *

When Gibbs returned to the squad room he saw that Tony and Ziva had already gone for the night. This didn't surprise him. He was usually the first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave at night, with the exception of Jessie.

McGee was still looking for something on his computer, but tonight, Jessie wasn't waiting patiently behind her desk as was the norm. Tonight, the only thing at her desk that was waiting for him was the deep blue scarf she'd taken to wearing every day, abandoned on the back of her chair.

Gibbs sat down at his desk. "Where's Harper?"McGee stopped typing and glanced up nervously. "Spit it out, McGee!"

"Um, she, um, well considering what happened tonight she…got a ride with Tony." McGee was sputtering so hard he almost broke out in a sweat. Gibbs glared at him until he stopped stuttering.

Gibbs leapt out of his seat and walked over to Jessie's desk, roughly snatching the scarf off the chair. He left the office in whirl of anger and confusion. He was pissed that she'd left without saying anything. And worse, he was confused because he didn't understand why it mattered in the first place.

* * *

Jessie was laying down couch with a cool rag over her eyes, trying to keep the headache that had been threatening to emerge all day at bay, when she heard a pounding on her door. Of course, she'd been expecting this and immediately knew who it was. Who other then Gibbs would beat on her door in the middle of the night?

Accepting a ride from Tony had been a spur of the moment decision. Initially she'd intended to wait for Gibbs as always and had refused when he'd offered, also part of the routine. But then she thought back to her and Gibbs' brief confrontation.

"Tony! Wait up!" She'd gathered up her things quickly and bolted for the elevator that Tony had just entered. It was only when the cold win whipped around her face that Jessie realized she'd left her scarf back in the office.

Tony drove a sensible Honda Accord, which shocked Jessie. She'd pegged him for a vintage muscle car kind of guy, and when she said something of the sort aloud, Tony laughed and regaled her with the story of how his car was stolen and destroyed during a chase. Normally, Jessie would have thought this story an exaggeration, but knowing Tony, anything was possible.

"So what made you do it?" Tony asked unexpectedly.

Jessie quirked an eyebrow. "Do what?"

"Grab Gibbs like that!" Tony laughed and shook his head. "I wouldn't have done it."

"That's because you enjoy Gibbs slapping you around," Jessie stated flatly.

Tony immediately began to stutter. "What…me…I…haha!" Tony laughed nervously, taking his eyes off the road for a moment to glance her way. "I'm not gay, if that what's you think. Is it the hair?" Tony checked it in the rearview mirror, running his fingers through it lightly. "Damn, I knew I was conditioning too much."

Jessie stared at him, blinking, before speaking slowly. "No…you like it because it makes you feel like he cares about your well being."

"Oh," he blushed so hard Jessie could see his crimson cheeks in the dim light. "And that's not how you feel about it?"

"I don't think Gibbs gives a damn about what I do," she grumbled.

Tony glanced at her and then back at the road. "Gibbs is a…complicated man."

"He's a bastard."

Tony laughed loud and hard. Jessie asked what was so funny. "You sounded exactly like my old partner just now. You remind me a lot of her sometimes." He smiled sadly.

"Where is she now?" Jessie asked, curious because this wasn't the first time Tony had mentioned the woman that had been his partner before Ziva.

"Kate?" Tony sighed heavily. "Kate was killed in the line of duty by a sniper by the name Ari Haswari."

Jessie reached out slowly for Tony's hand that was resting on the gearshift. "I know what it's like to lose a partner." Tony looked down at their hands and smiled briefly. He squeezed her hand and she left go. When they pulled up to the house, Jessie moved to climb out when Tony stopped her with a gentle hand to her shoulder and spoke softly.

"A while after Kate died, we lost our Director, Jenny Sheppard, in a gun fight. She and Gibbs were…close. And when he was in the Marines he had a family and…" Tony paused, seeming to think better of the information he was about to divulge. "Maybe someday he'll tell you about it. Just…don't take him being a jerk and leaving you at your desk too personally. He's trying to keep another Kate and Jenny from happening, because no matter how big of a bastard he may pretend to be…Jethro Gibbs is a good man, and he cares about us." Tony stopped, then laughed. "Especially Abby."

It had taken Gibbs about an hour to get to her house after Tony drove away, leaving Jessie standing alone in the bitter cold of her front yard, perplexed and irritated. She rolled off her couch when the beating didn't stop after a full minute and scowled deeply at the closed door. When she opened it, Gibbs stepped in, not waiting for an invitation.

"You didn't wait."

"Obviously," Jessie yawned. "Did you come over here to state the obvious?"

"I came to tell you to pack a bag. We've got a lead on the case and we're gonna stay at some park about four hours from here, to see what pans out." Gibbs grumbled.

"Did you go over to everyone else's houses to tell them that?" Jessie crossed her arms.

Gibbs growled, "No, but I don't live three houses down from them either." He turned his back to her and walked back to the door. He put his hand on the knob and paused for a second, as if he really didn't want to leave. "You left this." Gibbs tossed a piece of royal blue material onto the table beside her door, turned the knob, and left. Jessie walked slowly to the table and picked up the blue material that she immediately recognized as her forgotten scarf. All of the sudden, for the first time in months, Jessie felt like laughing and crying all at the same time because Tony had been right. Gibbs really did care.

The next morning, Gibbs wasn't waiting for her in front of her house. But when she went into her garage, she couldn't help but smile when she noticed the chains that someone had wrapped around her tires.

**Authors Note: Omg how good am I to put out a chapter this soon! Go me! Soon we'll be getting to the meat of the story, and I'm so excited! I brought the music back! I think this song really fits with this small part of the story; the first encounter, you could say. Anyway, I hope you all like and please please please read and review! I love reading reviews, it makes my day! I want opinions; what do ya'll think is gonna happen with Jessie and Gibbs? Does Tony have a crush? I dunnnnoooooo. Thanks guys! -Alison**


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